What is the meaning of Genesis 6:3?

So the LORD said

“So the LORD said,”

• God Himself breaks the silence, just as He did in Genesis 3:9 and Genesis 4:6, making it unmistakable that what follows carries divine authority.

• Whenever the LORD speaks, His word is final and effective (Psalm 33:9; Isaiah 55:11).

• The setting is a world filling up with violence and corruption (Genesis 6:5), so the announcement comes as both warning and mercy.

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My Spirit will not contend with man forever

“My Spirit will not contend with man forever,”

• “My Spirit” points to the Holy Spirit actively striving with humanity, convicting and restraining evil (John 16:8; Nehemiah 9:30).

• The verb “contend” pictures a pleading or wrestling—God patiently working with sinners (Acts 7:51; Isaiah 63:10).

• The phrase “not … forever” signals a limit to that patience (Psalm 95:7-11), underlining that grace has an endpoint when ignored.

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for he is mortal

“for he is mortal;”

• Humanity’s frailty is central: we are flesh, temporary, subject to decay (Psalm 103:14-16; Ecclesiastes 12:7).

• Sin magnifies that weakness, bringing death as its wage (Romans 6:23).

• By stressing mortality, God reminds people that they cannot presume upon endless opportunities to repent (Hebrews 9:27).

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his days shall be 120 years

“his days shall be 120 years.”

• Most naturally, the 120 years mark the countdown from God’s decree to the Flood (Genesis 7:6), giving Noah time to preach righteousness (2 Peter 2:5).

• This window showcases God’s longsuffering (2 Peter 3:9), allowing space for repentance while affirming judgment is certain.

• After the Flood, lifespans do gradually shorten (Genesis 11), but many still lived beyond 120; the statement is best read as a probationary period for that generation.

• The fixed limit also foreshadows later boundaries on human arrogance, such as Psalm 90:10’s “seventy, or eighty, if we have the strength.”

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summary

Genesis 6:3 shows God personally declaring that His Spirit’s patient striving with sinful humanity will end after a defined period—120 years—because people are mortal. The verse blends warning and grace: warning that divine patience has limits, and grace in granting time to repent before judgment falls.